The most influential TV showrunners in Hollywood.

Selections for The Hollywood Reporter’s third annual list of the top TV showrunners are based on the following criteria:

1. Direct responsibility for the day-to-day creative output of a scripted TV showcurrently on theair or debuting in the fall.

2. How prolific the showrunner is; those with more than one series on the air are more likely to be included. Writer-producers with a show debuting in the fall are included only if they created or ran a previous hit series.

3. Nielsen ratings, especially relative to other shows on the same network.

4. Emmy attention and/or critical praise.

5. Reputation among studio and network executives for professionalism and delivering high-quality and high-rated TV.

The Godfathers: Not included on the list but just as influential are major executive producers like J.J. Abrams (Fox’s Fringe and NBC’s Undercovers), Jerry Bruckheimer (CBS’ CSI franchise and Cold Case and NBC’s Chase), John Wells (TNT’s Southland and Showtime’s Shameless), Dick Wolf (the Law & Order franchise) and Anthony Zuiker (CSI). They impact TV as much as anyone on the Showrunners list.